technician credentials question (for hairfetish or anyone)

the_Q-str · December 24, 2003, 6:34pm

This is a question for hairfetish (or really anyone who can help answer it)…

I recently met with a laser technician who uses the “Altus CoolGlide” (she claimed “it’s the strongest laser out there”…which after reading the many posts on this site regarding the Altus Coolglide may have been a slight overgeneralization on her part).

My question is - Hairfetish, you mentioned in a previous post that the Altus Coolglide is a great machine in the hands of the right person. How do I know that I’ve got the “right” person operating it? What questions should I ask about her experience, technique, etc?

(fyi - I’m female with type III skin, brown hair and want to have nearly all the hair from my nose down permanently removed - some is coarse, some fine).

Also, just want to say thank you, hairfetish, Andrea and everyone else who makes this site such an informative wealth of objective views and opinions!

hairfetish · December 24, 2003, 11:32pm

Hi! I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season! The Altus Coolglide has several configurations, depending upon desired usage. It is an incredibly powered NdYag machine - and yes, it is the most powerful of all the NdYags out there. You must understand that there are 3 main wavelengths of lasers being used for hair removal - alexandrite (755nm), diode (800nm) and NdYag (1064nm). Each wavelength has a specified affinity for melanin, with alexandrite being the greatest, and NdYag being least of the 3. Alexandrite and diode are fabulous lasers for hair removal on white skin, with dark hair. NdYag is more appropriate for all skin colors, with dark hair. The Coolglide is the most high-powered of the NdYags and can achieve fluence/pulse-width settings that other NdYags cannot, so it can treat all skin colors effectively and safely. Other wavelengths must be powered down in fluence settings to safely treat medium to dark skin without burning, thus sacrificing efficacy. I am sorry about the treatise on laser physics, but it helps to understand the different machines. You must look for a practitioner who complies with your state requirements on education and certification, plus has many hours of hands-on experience with laser hair removal. The practice should have been in business continuously at least 2 years, doing hair removal every day, and owns the machine. You need to have a consultation to determine your skin type, and you must understand that there is no, repeat, no procedure that removes every hair. You can reasonably expect 70-90% permanent reduction. Being a woman, you will have certain hormonal events in your life that can generate new hair growth. Hope this helps - have a safe and happy 2004!

the_Q-str · December 27, 2003, 3:59pm

Thanks so much for the reply and the info, hairfetish. Hope you’re have a great holiday season as well.

Even if I’ve found a practitioner with the above credentials, is there anything that he/she could/should (or shouldn’t!) do while performing treatment with the Altus Coolglide that might make it less (or more) effective? (such as…pass over areas too quickly/slowly, choose the wrong setting, change settings for different areas, overlap/not overlap passes, etc)?

Aitaronz · December 28, 2003, 4:22am

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by hairfetish:
Alexandrite and diode are fabulous lasers for hair removal on white skin, with dark hair. NdYag is more appropriate for all skin colors, with dark hair.<hr /></blockquote>Great post, thankyou, hairfetish! But do you mean that the Alexandrite and diode lasers are preferable to the NdYag, provided your skintype is suitable? Or do you mean that the NdYag is just as effective as the other two, as well as being more versatile?